


of ice packs and misunderstandings

by thefigureinthecorner



Category: My Candy Love
Genre: Accidental Coming Out, Cas is Bi, Gen, Nath is gay, and this case only, but like it works out in this case, technically an AU cause you can date him in canon so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 05:38:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14372082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefigureinthecorner/pseuds/thefigureinthecorner
Summary: The Deborah situation goes worse, then better than expected.





	of ice packs and misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

> Technically this AU could’ve worked out entirely if I hadn’t changed any dialogue, but I changed the dialogue anyway because no teenager talks like that
> 
> There might be multiple chapters if I decide to explore this AU further into the MCL storyline but honestly?? probably not because the most motivation I have is for oneshots

“Maybe I want to be more than friends.”

Of all the bad things that could happen, this might be the Worst Possible Thing, Nathaniel decides as he’s pushed against the table. Deborah’s pushing herself against him, she’s literally batting her eyelashes, oh my god, who _does_ that—

“I know you like me, I’ve seen the way you look at me,” she purrs in a way that’s probably supposed to be seductive or something, but it really just sounds kinda stupid coming from her. And, the way he looks at her? Is she serious? “I think we’d be good together, you could become my manager and we’d be so successful. After all, you’re so organized already, you’d be perfect.” She trails a finger along his jaw.

“Listen, you’re uh. Not really my type,” he says, laughing awkwardly and trying to push her hands away from the desk behind him. Instead of actually stopping, she just smiles and grabs his own hands and puts them on her waist. There are about 20 different alarms going off in Nathaniel’s head at this point, most of them screaming ‘THERE IS NO SITUATION WHERE THIS ENDS WELL ABORT ABORT!’

She pushes him further, slides her hands around his waist this time. “Oh, shut up, you, don’t think I haven’t noticed.” Her fingers snag on a belt loop. Nathaniel swallows, probably audibly.

“Not that this, uh, isn’t, um,” he’s floundering for excuses at this point and he knows it because he can’t just _tell her_ , that’s too risky, “Castiel doesn’t deserve this, I can’t—”

Castiel walks in.

Speak of the devil.

Nathaniel is at a loss for words; Deborah looks like she might be too, because she immediately starts stammering. “It’s not what it looks like, Castiel, I swear.” But he’s not looking at her, he’s staring directly at Nathaniel with an expression that looks entirely too familiar for comfort. He pushes Deborah off while she’s not paying any attention.

“Deborah, leave, I can handle this.” His voice is cold, and Nathaniel can tell Castiel thinks it’s his fault. Deborah’s realized the same thing, because the look of surprise turns smug in the blink of an eye. She winks at Nathaniel and steps back out of the room, probably to go tell some teacher about how she was just harassed or some bullshit. Castiel steps closer. Nathaniel steps back.

“Hey, man, I swear that wasn’t my fault, just, please, just calm down.” Nathaniel puts his hands up in surrender. It doesn’t work. The first hit lands, and it lands hard, and for a second Nathaniel forgets where he is as he’s knocked to the ground. He shakes it off, enough to be able to at least land a return hit so Castiel won’t keep going right away. Nathaniel’s face stings. “Castiel I swear to God I wouldn’t do anything like that just get off of me, we can talk this out, it wasn’t my fault and I’M GAY, OKAY!”

Castiel stops mid-punch. Nathaniel claps his hands over his mouth, eyes wide. His mind goes blank as he processes what’s just happened.

“You… what?”

Okay, well, processing period over. Nathaniel’s mind is now reeling. Backspacing. Ctrl+Z that entire conversation. “I mean. I uh. I’m not gay at all? 100% straight? Gay but like, happy, that kind of gay, obviously.”

Castiel sits back on his heels, then flops down to sit on the ground next to Nathaniel, letting him sit up. “Nah, we’re not gonna just push that aside, you just accidentally came out to me in self-defense and we’re fucking talking about it right here right now. I’m bi, it’s all good. Tell me what actually happened then.”

It’s kinda scary, how quickly Castiel switches from 100 to 0. Nathaniel takes a shaky breath in. Takes another.

“Okay, well, I was in here, just minding my own business, and she starts trying to like. I don’t even know, flirt with me or something, and I tried to get her to leave but she kept pushing it. She said something about being her manager. I think she was trying to like, seduce me into it. I mean it’s not like anyone knows I’m gay, so…” Nathaniel pales. “Oh my god what if someone overheard.”

“There was nobody in the hall when I came in, you’ll be fine. Are fine. Both. I’m not gonna tell anyone, so.” There’s a pause where Castiel looks like he’s considering something. “You’ve never told anyone, have you?”

Nathaniel shakes his head. “I mean, Amber, but she doesn’t count and mostly it was so she’d stop trying to set me up with her friends. But I know she won’t say anything because I have something on her, some embarrassing childhood memory that I’m sworn to secrecy on, so we’re good there. And she won’t tell our parents, because, well. She just won’t, is all.” He rubs at his cheek and hisses. Yeah, that is 100% going to bruise.

Castiel winces in sympathy. “Uh, yeah, sorry about that. Kinda acted without thinking. Fucking Deborah. I trusted her, I didn’t think it’d be her fault, but I mean, it’s not like it’d be yours. You punch hard too though, where’d you learn that?”

Experience. “Boxing.”

“You box?” He looks incredulous. Nathaniel breathes out a laugh.

“Not often, parents think it’s,” Nathaniel mimes a deeper voice, “‘Brutish and barbaric.’ They just don’t want me learning stuff outside of school.” Don’t want him learning to fight back.

Castiel hums in consideration and pushes himself to stand, holding out a hand for Nathaniel. He takes it.

“Well, we should go get you some ice.”

**Author's Note:**

> Good endings? Never heard of her
> 
> Also please tell me if I switch to 2nd person at any point cause that’s what I usually write in and I’m pretty sure I caught everything but who knows


End file.
